This is the official news, notes, and Q&A thread for the 2007 Game Picker Playoffs. I'll address whatever questions or issues I can in this thread.

A few things to get started:

The top 16 finishers in the regular season are eligible for the playoffs. Actually, the top 17 finishers will be eligible since I will abstain from participating again this year because I have to deal with private messaged picks and it would be a conflict of interest if I can see my opponent's picks before the game is played.

I am working with my friend and co-worker on finally getting a somewhat more automated system up and running this year for you guys to input your playoff picks, but unfortunately, I don't think it will be ready for the start of the NBA Playoffs.

Best case scenario: I may need to host private messaged picks for the first couple of rounds.

Worst case scenario: I may need to host private messaged picks for the entire playoffs and the system will definitely be available next year.

The game pick format this year will be exactly the same as the regular season. The scoring format will be similar to the regular season, but no partial points calculated from standard deviation will be awarded for the score or random stat.

fredweis, you have already clinched the regular season title with one game left to go, so just tell me now if you want to pick the 1 vs. 8 series in the Eastern Conference or the Western Conference.

The prize is a $35 personalized American Express gift card, usable at any location that accepts American Express, available to residents in the United States only, except for CT, HI, NH, RI & VT. Should the winner reside in one of those states, an alternate payment will be made. Unfortunately, there will not be a prize for international winners due to the expenses of sending money and/or shipping internationally.